Downtown residents are feeling the resurgence that’s turning the area into a walkable experience worth sharing with your visitors or just for yourself. Get to know the Historic Core and beyond with these things to do in Downtown Los Angeles.
Five Downtown Los Angeles Places to see and show.
Disney Concert Hall
Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall is an internationally recognized architectural landmark and one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world.
From the stainless steel curves of its striking exterior to the state-of-the-art acoustics of the hardwood-paneled main auditorium, the 3.6-acre complex embodies the unique energy and creative spirit of the city of Los Angeles and its orchestra.
Thanks to the vision and generosity of Lillian Disney, the Disney family, and many other individuals and corporate donors, Los Angeles enjoys the music of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and visiting artists and orchestras from around the world.
The Broad Museum
Three words: Infinity Mirror Rooms. Downtown’s persistently popular contemporary art museum has two of Yayoi Kusama’s immersive, mirror-laden rooms (and the standby queue to prove it). Elsewhere in the free museum, Eli and Edythe Broad’s collection of 2,000 post-war works includes artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger and Jeff Koons.
The Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building’s nondescript, brick exterior belies any sense of significance—a Sprint store and the lingering smell of Subway don’t exactly scream “architectural gem.” Walk through the archway entrance on Broadway, though, and you’re greeted with a stunning, light-flooded alley of wood, iron, and brick. You’ll have to do all of your gawking from the ground floor (and half a flight of stairs) as the rest of the building is private office space. History buffs will appreciate its place as Downtown’s oldest commercial building (1893); movie buffs will recognize the zigzagging staircases from the climax of Blade Runner. But for everyone else, that awe-inspiring first glimpse alone makes the visit worthwhile.
Grand Park
The slow, lumbering mission to turn Downtown LA into a vibrant cultural hub got a lift when a portion of Grand Park’s 12 acres officially opened to the public in July 2012. Dotted with fountains, picnic lawns, bright pink benches and plenty of nooks from which to sit and people-watch, Grand Park is a bright urban oasis that proves the city has a sense of romance. The park plays host to performances, gatherings and other community events.
City Hall
The grand, white concrete tower has stood tall as a city icon since 1928, and today it’s the easiest way to take in an elevated view of Downtown and beyond. “Up, Up, and Away!” If you’re ever passing through the Civic Center during public hours—weekdays 9am-5pm, enter on Main Street—then you owe yourself a visit to the observation deck. While you’re there, walk around the surrounding park and look for the 1984 Olympic torch near the Spring Street exit.
Union Station
Opened in 1939 on the site of the original Chinatown, it was the last of the great American rail stations to be built, at a cost at the time of $11 million. By 1971, just seven passenger trains a day were running here; however, it’s a bit busier today, and its Mission-style exterior, marble floors, high ceilings and decorative tiles make it a handsome place. However, don’t confuse it with the Spanish colonial post office that stands next to it.
The Arts District
The Downtown Arts District in Los Angeles is a whole city in itself when you take a closer look. Equal parts warehouse wasteland and burgeoning hub for LA’s young, professional and creative, the Arts District is the city’s neighborhood to watch. And with approximate limits of Second Street to Seventh Street and Alameda Street and the LA River, surprisingly, the Southeast section of Downtown is totally walkable. Sprinkled amidst these perimeters are the makings of a community rich in character, featuring stylish galleries, handsome coffee shops, socially conscious boutiques and some of the best restaurants and bars. These pockets of budding establishments lie amidst a stretch of early 20th-century warehouses—many ex-factories—some of which are deserted, but all of which hold the promise of artist studios and loft apartments with exposed brick walls and floor-to-ceiling windows.
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